TAMPA, Fla. — A series of hiring events are back this month thanks to the Future Career Academy and Best Florida Jobs. They offer students and adults career opportunities aside from college.

What You Need To Know

  • Future Career Academy is a program in several schools within the Hillsborough County School District that aims to teach seniors about job opportunities outside of college
  • Best Florida Jobs partners with the Future Career Academy to offer job opportunities to the community during the series of hiring events
  • Dates of all career fair dates are available here

Workforce Development Partners Chief Operating Officer Jose Colindres says the career fair has helped hundreds of people learn about high-paying jobs they can obtain. It has also been a big resource for the community.

“We’re really excited to be able to provide opportunities whether you’re just getting out of high school and you’re getting into the workforce, or you’re looking at changing careers or looking for opportunities and you’ve already graduated from high school,” he said.

Colindres says the career fair is open to everyone, but one of their biggest goals is to get bilingual people into jobs where they’re needed.

The career fair has helped people like Elesiel Simon Santana.

His job starts off with checking emails and making sure everything is up to date. For Santana, customer service has always been a job he’s been drawn to.

“Since my first job, it’s always been customer service based, so I do enjoy that and helping the community as much as I can.”

Santana has been working as a customer service specialist for the Hillsborough County Clerk of Court for nearly a year.

He found out about the position from a family friend, who directed him to the Best Florida Jobs Career Fair.

“I thought that was a great opportunity to see what jobs around the community were offered and see what the county had, and I think I went with the best option for me.”

He says the career fair helped place him in a position where he could utilize his Spanish-speaking skills and do what he loves.

“I think it’s really awesome that I can help out somebody who is having trouble perhaps or who is not really comfortable in this type of setting, and I love it, I think it’s a great skill to have,” says Santana.

Santana not only helps translate for people in his department, but he also helps in other departments as well. That’s because he says he’s the only Spanish-speaker in the building.

It’s a skill that he says he uses often to help his coworkers communicate with customers.

“I think they leave here with at least more knowledge of what’s going on just because I interpret for them.”

Helping place people in positions where their skills are needed the most is the goal for the career fair. With the growing Spanish-speaking population in the county, Santana says he’s a good example of why more bilingual employees are needed.

It’s also a position he says comes with a lot of pluses.

“It does have a lot of opportunity for growth career wise as well. It’s a steady job and offers great benefits.”

The position has even opened the door for him to help people obtain their marriage licenses.

“It’s a great opportunity to learn how everything works, not just your role in the clerk’s office.”

Santana says the career fair helped him immensely, and he encourages others seeking opportunities like him to attend.

The career fair is open to high school seniors during the morning hours, and then open to the community during the afternoon hours.

Dates of all career fair dates are available here.